ESA at Space4You Nereus conference

Roundtable

28 February 2014

The Space4You conference on space as a driver for competitiveness and growth concluded today in the city of Bari in southern Italy.

Promoted by Italy’s Apulia Region and the Network of European Regions Using Space Technologies – Nereus – in collaboration with the Apulian Aerospace Cluster, the two-day conference was held in the main city of the Apulia Region.

Attracting 300 participants, it brought together representatives from European regions, ESA, the European Commission, national space agencies, regional and national institutions, space associations, universities and users, to highlight the fundamental role of space in driving competitiveness and growth.

Space4You was an intensive debate on bringing space into the European regions with a strong user-centred approach. Space assets and applications are fundamental for European regions, to foster new business and to address social, economic and security challenges with efficient and sustainable tools.

Vega and Swarm

Franco Ongaro, ESA Director of Technical and Quality Management, discussed “How can space agencies work with regions?” alongside representatives from the Italian, French and German space agencies.

“Regions,” says Franco Ongaro, “are strategic laboratories for the utilisation of space services and for the development of small and medium entreprises.

“Moreover, European regions have a strong presence in the aerospace industry, and they share the same objectives in terms growth and applications.

“The coordination of European initiatives at European level is important for key players in space such as ESA, its Member States and the EU.”

ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli also made a presentation on “Space for Earth: a journey around our world”.